11. Reaper
11
Reaper
We drove until we reached Corpus Christi. We didn’t talk much, but as soon as we parked, Sarra had me take my shirt off and examined my shoulder.
“It doesn’t look bad. How does it feel?”
“It’s just a little tender. The knife didn’t go that deep, so I’ll keep it disinfected with medicine I always carry in my bag.”
“After you do that, I’ll tape it closed,” Sarra said.
“How are you? I know you must have been so scared.”
“I wasn’t scared. I knew you would keep me safe,” Sarra said, smiling.
“I’m glad you have so much faith in me. I will always keep you safe.”
“I know that. Now, let’s take care of your shoulder. Were you scared when you saw that knife coming at you?”
“I actually didn’t see it until it was too late. I’m glad it didn’t hit my heart or my eye. Okay, let’s forget what happened and move forward.”
“I was craving one of those big hamburgers. I’ll make us some for lunch tomorrow,” Sarra said.
“You’ve got a deal.” My shoulder was taken care of in no time. I lay there listening to Sarra toss and turn for thirty minutes before getting up and crawling beside her. I pulled her into my arms, and she calmed down.
“Thank you. Maybe I was a little scared. Will you stay here?”
“I’m not going anywhere,” I said, holding her. I lay there for two hours before my eyes drifted shut.
When I felt a soft ass pushing against me, I closed my eyes. My dick was hurting; it was so hard. I stopped breathing when I noticed Sarra was awake. “Sorry,” I eased out of bed and back to my side of the RV, jumping into the shower.
Oh, fuck. This was going to be hard, living in this tiny camper with Sarra. As soon as I walked out of the shower, I knew she was gone. I rushed outside and found Sarra sitting down, drinking a cup of coffee.
“There’s more coffee. Grab a cup and sit out here with me.”
I noticed she was wearing her short shorts. I saw the long scar on her side and reached down to touch it. “How did you get this?”
“It was an accident.”
“How?”
“I was trying to get out of the shed that Mam locked me in, and she heard me. She grabbed a board to make me stop screaming, and the board had nails in it. I had to stay an extra two nights because she was angry that I tried to escape. And angrier still that my side was cut so deep. She blamed me for that also. By the time she let me out, I had an infection that was hard to get rid of.”
“Why were you screaming?”
“There were snakes in there,” she said with a shiver.
“If this woman isn’t dead, I will kill her myself,” I said, getting angry. “Did you have it checked by a doctor?”
“No, I don’t want to talk about it anymore. She couldn’t take me to the doctor because she had none of my paperwork. No birth certificate, no Social Security card, nothing. Now, can we stop talking about her?”
“Yes. How about we take a hike, and then I will cook breakfast for us?”
“Only if I can help you cook.”
“You have a deal,” I said. We shook hands, and then I changed my shoes while drinking my coffee. We ran on the beach for an hour, Bub playing in the ocean, and then we both turned toward the ocean to watch as a storm was coming in.
“Do you think a hurricane is coming?”
“Could be. We can sit and watch it for a while, and then we’ll leave,” I said, glancing at the water as the waves got larger.
“I love storms. I used to climb on the house when a storm was coming. Mam kept her head buried under the bed, but not me. I dared it to get stronger. It was so amazing—lightning, thunder, and rain. I wanted it to swallow up our house with Mam inside.” She looked over at me, seemingly shocked by her own words. “Am I horrible?”
“No, you are not horrible. You are so damn smart.”
“I left when I was eighteen. Mam found me and put me back in that damn shed for a week. She would put the hose through a crack in the wood. Once a day, I had to hurry and take a drink of water. I pushed all of that to the back of my mind.”
“She can’t come out of hiding because everyone thinks she’s dead.”
“Could you teach me how to do those kicks you do?”
“Yes, I’ll start tomorrow,” I said, standing up. “We have to leave; the storm is getting worse.”
We drove until we reached Arizona and found an RV park in the desert. The stars were so bright in the clear sky. We cooked our hamburgers for a late dinner.
“Wow, this is beautiful. I never knew the desert was so beautiful,” she said, taking a deep breath. “Can you smell that? I love the smell of the desert.”
“We have a safe house in Sedona, Arizona. We’ll go there for a few nights.”
“The red rock is amazing.”
“I’ve wanted to go to Sedona, and I can’t wait to see how beautiful it is up close.”
“We’ll also see the Grand Canyon.”
“Wow, thank you. I can’t wait. I forgot all of what Arizona has to offer. I think the desert would be a great setting for a thriller. Imagine all that could go wrong out here,” Sarra said as she jumped up to get her paper and pencil.
“So, are you going to write about the mafia killing people?”
“No, that’s already been done to death. It’s not scary anymore. I’m thinking of a thriller about people living in the desert, and maybe a family on vacation stumbles upon them. Oh yeah, this will be a hit. Can we stay out here for a couple of nights? I can plot my story while I soak in the desert atmosphere.”
“I think we can manage that. Will you let me in on the good stuff?”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. I never tell anyone about my books while I’m writing. Don’t ask me why. My cousins always tried to get me to tell them what I was writing.”
We sat out for a couple of hours, watching the stars and listening to coyotes in the distance. Then we went in, and I knew I would have to ditch the RV. There wasn’t enough room in here with Sarra. Her scent drove me wild; it was going to be hard to sleep tonight, and I had said we would stay here for a few days. I’m fucking stupid.
It was three thirty when Sarra started having that damn dream that frightened her. This time, she screamed. Bub growled, and I jumped up. I got in beside her and pulled her into my arms. She turned toward me and cuddled close.
“I’m sorry I woke you again. That dream won’t leave me. It’s about Mam finding me. I’m so scared. I lied to you. I’m not just worried; I’m terrified she’s alive. I know she’ll kill me when she finds me. What am I going to do?”
“Sweetheart, she’s not going to touch you. We don’t even know if she’s alive. I won’t let her near you if she is.”
“You can’t protect me forever. You have your own life. I’m sure you have a girlfriend waiting at home for you. Or maybe a wife. You can’t hang around me until that woman shows up.”
“Sure, I can. I don’t have anyone waiting at home for me. As soon as your cousins find Brian, we’ll find out if she’s alive. I’ve already contacted my team, and they are looking into this. Hush, she won’t touch you.”
Damn it, my dick was getting hard; I tried talking it down, but it wouldn’t listen to me. She stopped crying when she felt that hard erection poking her. Then she pulled her head back and looked at me.
“Do you want me?”
“I’m sorry, but my dick wouldn’t listen. Yes, I want you.”
“I want you too.”
“We can’t do this. It’s against all the rules.”
“I make my own rules, and I want you to make love to me. You don’t have a wife or a girlfriend. We are both grownups, and I’m hot for you right now.”
I leaned down, my forehead touching hers. “You don’t know me.”
“Yes, I do. I know you better than you will ever understand.”
She raised her head and kissed me, and I felt like I had been waiting for her forever.